Nothing Is Skin Deep: 'A World Turned Upside Down'
by LttleDvl
Summary: Highly AU. This is not your cutesy, love dove fic and it will cover a lot of darker issues. I've gone back and done some editing of the previous chapters. This story is currently on hold.
1. Chapter 1: Fight or Flee

_Author's Notes: This is an idea that came to me in the midst of working on 'S.P.D. Premonitions'. While I purposely focused on keeping that fic to the show's actual storyline (as far as all the events that occurred during the series, at any rate), this story is highly AU. I'm taking much of what you know about S.P.D. and throwing it right out the window. All the faces are the same, but there are a lot of changes that may surprise you. I'm not going to totally re-create anyone's personality, but I will say that there will be a few changes here and there._

_This story is still in-progress and as of this moment, remains un-betaed. I believe that I caught all the spelling and grammar errors; if you spot one, shoot me a line._

_One very important thing of note; I'm rating this story as M. I'll be covering some very dark subjects throughout this fic and it may not be for everyone. I'll give you the warning right now; if you can't handle scenes depicting physical abuse, then don't read any further._

_I've gone back over the story and what I've written so far, and I've given it some extra details and a bit more 'polish' if you will. I've discovered that while in the midst of working on smaller scale ficlets that I have a tendency to skimp somewhat on the longer stories; I guess its because I'm so focused on the overall storyline, that the smaller things end up falling to the wayside. Let me know what you think of the changes._

_I've also re-titled it to 'Nothing Is Skin Deep'; but I kept the 'A World Turned Upside Down' in the title section so that it could be easily spotted by those of you who have already been following this story. I chose this title because I'll be exploring all the characters a lot more in depth than what the series did – thus going beyond what we see at the surface level. (Plus, I really felt that the previous title was more apt for a bad, cheesy soap opera. Which I'm hoping this story is __**not**_

_Oh, and as usual; I don't own Power Rangers or the characters, you know the drill._

"We could try to send him to an institution somewhere," a man's voice quietly spoke, almost at a near whisper.

"How would that help at all?" a woman asked in response.

"I didn't say that it would help him; but at least it would keep him locked up where he couldn't hurt any one else."

Sunlight streamed in through the large picture window as the teenage boy stood in the adjacent room; leaning against a wall. About 5'5" with a short mass of unruly brown hair, he didn't have to strain to overhear the conversation. He could hear their thoughts quite clearly.

"But he's never done anything to hurt us…" the woman tried to argue unsuccessfully.

"That we know of," the man's voice cut her off, "How do we know that he hasn't been playing around in our heads; altering our thoughts? No; I think it's for the best this way."

He strode out of the cramped kitchen and into the living room where he spied his son leaning against the far wall. Narrowing his gaze, he glared at the teenager. "And how long have you been there spying on us?"

The young man shook his head slightly. "I don't have to be anywhere in order to spy on other people, at least according to what you think."

An angry, strangled noise came from the older man's throat as he turned towards the woman. "You see? Even now, he's reading our thoughts," he turned back towards the boy, "And you're probably trying to change the way we feel too, I'll bet."

The teenager eased himself away from the wall, taking a step towards the larger form of his father. Standing at 6'2", he was broad-shouldered and fairly well-muscled for a man his age; certainly he was an intimidating figure for a young, scrawny teenager to try to stand up to.

"If I was able to do that, don't you think I'd have you think better of me than what you do now?" he cried out, "Don't you think that instead of having thoughts of sending me away and how much you hate me that I'd try to make you love me instead?"

The boy didn't get any further in his accusations as his father moved forward, rapidly closing the distance between them. As soon as he was in reach, he grabbed the boy by both arms, digging his fingers into the soft flesh as he dragged his son forward.

The teenager winced slightly at the pain emanating from his arms, but looked up defiantly at the older man's face. "Even now, I know that you hate me. I can't help what I am, why can't you just accept that?"

His father growled angrily and briefly let go of his son. Just long enough to backhand him hard enough that he fell heavily against the wall, sliding down along it to land on the floor.

"No!" the woman cried out from behind them both. She quickly raced around the form of her husband and knelt down at the side of her son, starting to reach a hand out towards him.

"No; don't," the boy stated as he swept her hand away with his arm. Even that brief contact told him what she really felt. "I don't want your fake pity," he stared hard at her, "You're just as bad as he is in your own way. I don't know what's worse; having a father who hates you outright or having a mother that acts like she doesn't." With that, he jerked himself away from both of them and ran up the stairs to his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Flinging himself onto his bed, he just lay there for a few moments. Though he had buried his head in his arms, it didn't shut out the thoughts that floated up to him from below.

"I told you. He's a danger to everyone around him. He has to go," his father spoke.

The young man didn't need to hear anymore. Getting up, he grabbed the nearest bag he could find and emptied the contents of his schoolwork from his backpack onto the middle of the bed. He glanced briefly at the report card that stared up at him from the top of the pile. Straight A's looked back at him from the stark white piece of paper.

_Not that those have ever done me any good_, he thought sullenly. Turning towards his dresser, he glanced briefly at his reflection in the large mirror. Already he could see a darkening purple bruise on his right cheek. _No more_, he thought angrily, _they want me gone, then fine; I'll leave on my own_. Digging through the drawers, he began to stuff as much clothing as he could into the bag.

When it was near to bursting, he glanced back at the room and the rest of his belongings. Several trophies lined the top of a shelf along one wall; each one touting his accomplishment in science and mechanics. Instead of making him feel proud, they were more like an ugly reminder, another sticking point between him and his parents. Gazing around, he took in the rest of the cramped, but bright room.

_There's nothing else here I really want_, he thought to himself, _I'm not sure any of this was ever mine, anyway_. He looked back into his closet, grabbed the light grey and green jacket that hung there and slipped it on. As he stuck his hands in the pockets, he briefly felt that there was something in there and pulled out the contents.

It was a pair of thin leather gloves. A pair that his father had bought for him a few years ago, when he had first begun to learn how to ride a dirt bike. Back when his father used to be proud of him; cared for him. Back before his strange powers had appeared, turning his father's love into fear and hate.

Nearly throwing them back into the closet, he stopped short when he had a sudden idea. Slipping them onto his hands, he closed his eyes and stood quietly for a moment; listening for any stray thoughts.

They were still there, but they were muffled. It was as if he was hearing a conversation through a thick wall. You could hear the voices; but you couldn't make out the words.

He sighed and re-opened his eyes, glancing down at his gloved hands. "I wish I would have thought of that a long time ago," he mumbled to himself.

Collecting the bag, he slung it across his back then strode over to the window to peer down at the rooftop that extended outward along the back porch from beneath his bedroom window. Climbing out, he eased the window back down behind him once he was through. Scurrying across the roof, careful not to make any noise, he slid down the pipe that ran from the edge of the rooftop to the ground below. Walking quickly and quietly through the yard, he hopped over the fence and began to run as fast as his legs could carry him; headed towards the center of the city. He never once looked back.


	2. Chapter 2: New Friends?

_Author's Notes: This story is highly AU, still in-progress and as of this moment, remains un-betaed. I believe that I caught all the spelling and grammar errors; if you spot one, shoot me a line. _

_One very important thing of note; I'm rating this story as M. I'll be covering some very dark subjects throughout this fic and it may not be for everyone. I'll give you the warning right now; if you can't handle scenes depicting physical abuse, then don't read any further._

_I've also re-edited this chapter too and add some extra bits into here as well; just as I did for chapter 1. Let me know what you think of them!_

_Oh, and of course; I don't own Power Rangers or the characters._

The young African-American walked sullenly down the alleyway, absently kicking an empty can into the shadows. The wind whipped down the alley, stirring his shoulder length dreadlocks and kicking up a few pieces of garbage and dirt. He sighed heavily as he wondered what on earth he could be doing instead of living day-to-day out on the streets. He glanced briefly at the young Hispanic-looking woman that walked beside him.

Dark haired and dusky eyed, she was a half-breed at best, but she didn't know anything more about her parents than he did. He had found her out on the street one day by herself and for some inexpiable reason he had taken a liking to the young girl. He was only a few years older than she was at the most, but he had known that a young kid like her wouldn't have been able to get along on the streets alone.

So he had taken her under his wing and they had become like siblings; each looking out for the other. He discovered early on that she also shared the same kind of ideals that he had. Yes, it was true that they lived by stealing from others, but they gave most of what they got to those who couldn't fend for themselves. It was always the most poor and weak of the street people who suffered at the hands of and were preyed upon by the thugs.

Both of them had become protectors of a sort to those who were too weak to fight for themselves. They also provided clothing and food to those same unfortunate people when no one else would.

The young woman heard her companion sigh yet again. "Jack, I know what you're getting at, but I don't see that we can really make a difference like this. Yes, we are helping people, but they're still stuck out here on the streets and until the rest of this city starts to give a rat's ass about their well-being, nothing's going to change."

"I know, Z," he replied, "I sometimes just wish that there was something more we could be doing."

"Like what?" she asked.

"I don't know," he shook his head, "I just don't know."

As they continued to walk, they alleyway they traversed intersected with another. Off to their right, Jack heard voices echo along the closely spaced walls. The sounds of scuffling and cruel laughter rang in his ears. He stopped and peered down the alley to spy five older teenagers fighting amongst themselves over the contents of a backpack.

"Hey!" Jack yelled out at them. They all turned to look in his direction and began to run in the opposite direction. Jack took off after them; splashing through a few puddles of water that had collected in the lowered center of the dingy passage; Z following closely behind.

He stopped short when he reached the place they had been fighting at in the center of the alley and leaned down to pick something up off the ground that they had apparently dropped in their haste to flee. It was a black leather glove.

"Jack!" he heard Z call from behind, just off to his left. He turned to see her slowly and gently rolling a teenager onto his back, who appeared to be knocked out cold. A large dark bruise spread across one cheek.

Jack walked over to squat down next to Z, as he looked the young man over. Jack figured him to be about 16, roughly the same age as Z. He glanced up at her as she tried in vain to rouse the teenager. He laid a hand softly on her arm, "Z, I think he's out pretty good. I doubt he'll be waking up anytime soon."

She shifted her attention away from the young man towards Jack. "Then what should we do? We can't just leave him here like this. Those thugs might come back and try to hurt him again," she gazed pleadingly at her long-time friend, "Or anyone else could for that matter."

Jack sighed and glanced back down at the young man. He knew she was right; he was too tempting a target in his current state. "Alright, we'll take him back with us. C'mon," moving around Z, he began to take a hold of the teenager by his shoulders, "But you're going to have to help me carry him."

------------------------

Hushed voices could be heard drifting towards him as the young man slowly opened dry, gritty eyes. He found that a thin blanket covered him and there was a flickering light coming from off to his right. He turned his head slightly towards the light and the voices and spotted two figures sitting hunched on either side of a small fire; talking quietly. Sitting up slowly and licking dry lips, he turned to face the other two.

Jack spied the teenage boy moving from out of the corner of his eye and cut off what he was saying to Z. She also turned towards the young man.

"So, I see you're awake finally," Jack spoke, "How do you feel?"

The young man rubbed at the side of his head briefly and squinted at the fire light. "Okay, I think. Though I could stand a drink. Where am I?"

Z reached out and grabbed a cup, pouring some water into it then leaned over, handing it to him. "Somewhere in Newtech City. One of the streets and alleys that no one cares about. You're safe with us though," she told him.

"Oh," he replied as he glanced briefly between them, "I suppose I should thank you then," he took a sip from the cup then peered intently at Jack, "But I still don't know what happened or how I got here."

Jack grinned back at him slightly. "You're sure not a suspicious one at all, are you?" he said sarcastically. He held a hand up as he saw the young man sit up straighter and begin to withdraw from them both. "Sorry, bad joke. I'm Jack; this is Z," he spoke as he pointed towards her, who nodded briefly in acknowledgement.

"We found you unconscious in one of the alleys along here. Some gang of thugs took your stuff. We weren't able to go after them at the time, and you were out pretty good," he shrugged slightly as he continued, "We figured it wouldn't be a good idea to leave you there like that by yourself, so we brought you here with us," he finished as Z nodded.

"Yah, we didn't want anything else to happen to you," she added, "The streets around here can be pretty rough."

"I can take care of myself," the teenager replied quickly.

Jack arched an eyebrow at him, "Excuse me for saying so, but it rather seems the opposite right now. I mean, you had your stuff stolen and got beat up in the process judging by that bruise you've got there," Jack jerked his head slightly in Bridge's direction.

Jack started to say more, but the young man cut him off quickly. "That's none of your business!" he replied curtly, then sighed lightly, "Besides; it doesn't have anything to do with me getting mugged," he glanced down at the cup he still held in his hands, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Really? Then where else did it come from?" Z asked.

The teenager raised his head briefly, just long enough to give Z a quick look, then shook his head in response; closing his eyes for a moment before glancing downwards.

_Oh hell_, Jack thought to himself, _what kind of trouble is this kid in? What have we just gotten ourselves into?_

"Look," Jack piped up, trying to sound cheerful, "It doesn't matter to us. What matters now is that you're safe and nothing else is going to happen to you as long as we're around," he gave Z a conspiratorial wink, who grinned back at him, "So…what's your name?"

The teenager looked up at both of them before replying. "Bridge."

"Bridge?" Z asked, sounding amused, "What kind of name is that?"

He turned to stare at her directly. "What kind of name is Z?" he retorted.

Jack suppressed a chuckle as Z glared at their new companion. "I'll have you know its short for Elizabeth, thank you very much," she replied sharply, placing her hands on her hips as she stared back at him.

"Hey, hey. None of that," Jack spoke up, still chuckling slightly as he watched them continue to try to stare each other down. _God, they're both hard-headed then_, he thought to himself. "We're all friends here, right?" he looked pointedly at the teenage boy, "Aren't we?"

Bridge broke off staring at Z and turned towards Jack. "Yah, I guess we could be," he shrugged lightly as he spoke.

"Alright, then. Let's all get some rest and we'll talk more in the morning," Jack told them as he settled down beneath a blanket next to the fire. He watched as Z did the same first; then Bridge, as he finally seemed to make up his mind, following their example.

Jack looked up at the stars overhead as he lay on his back against the hard ground, placing his hands behind his head. _Now what_, he thought intently. He and Z had been getting along fine with just each other for years, and now it seemed they were about to their little group. He glanced briefly at Bridge, who was apparently fast asleep. Even in the flickering light, Jack could see the ugly bruise that lined his face.

He turned back to gaze at the stars once more. _What now indeed?_ He honestly didn't believe that this kid would purposely cause any trouble for him or Z, but it was obvious that he had been running from something. _The question is_; Jack thought_, is it something that's going to catch up to him later on? And if it does, what I am going to do about it?_

Bridge lay under the thin blanket, eyes shut, pretending to sleep. He had slipped the glove off his right hand and had slid it out slightly from under the cover. He knew that Z was genuinely asleep as all he got from her was the fuzzy edges of someone dreaming. But Jack was still wide awake. And thinking about him no less. As Jack asked himself one last question before he began to drift into slumber, Bridge couldn't help but wonder the same thing himself.


	3. Chapter 3: Everyone has a Mission

_Author's Notes: This story is highly AU, still in-progress and as of this moment, remains un-betaed. I believe that I caught all the spelling and grammar errors; if you spot one, shoot me a line. _

_I'm still rating this story as M, for its content. Some dark and serious issues are going to be explored here. _

_Oh, and as usual; I don't own the Power Rangers or the characters._

"Cadets," a large, dog like alien with bluish-grey scales addressed two young humans who each wore a grey and black-trimmed uniform. He stopped in his pacing and turned to face them fully, "As recently promoted cadets, I feel you are both capable of taking on some additional duties."

The tall young man with piercing blue eyes stared straight ahead, almost as if he hadn't heard the Commander's words.

The young woman on the other hand, seemed ecstatic, "Thank you, sir!" she replied in a light musical voice. Her curly blond hair came down to her shoulders and she also had blue eyes, though they were a shade paler in comparison to her companion's.

Commander Cruger; Sirian, and head of Earth force S.P.D. glanced over both cadets. He knew they were some of the finest cadets that his academy had trained in recent years and he held high hopes for them both.

He nodded briefly, "I want you both to investigate and apprehend the Parkington Market thieves."

"Sir?" the young man questioned, looking slightly perplexed at his commanding officer.

Cruger turned to gaze at him, cocking his head slightly as he did so, "Yes, Cadet Tate?"

"Why common thieves, sir? Surely Cadet Drew and I have been training for the past two years to do something more substantial than that," he quickly noted the narrowing gaze that Cruger shot at him, "No offense, intended, of course, sir. I just…" he shrugged slightly, "I just want to know why."

"Hmm. You do have a right to know," Cruger spoke as he began to pace the length of the command center once again, "The reports we've received so far is that these thieves are not ordinary criminals," he came to a stop in front of the two cadets once again, waving a finger through the air to emphasize his words, "It's said that they have some kind of powers."

"Powers?" Syd spoke up. She glanced briefly at Sky. "Like us?"

"Yes, like yours. Their actual powers are quite different, of course," Cruger continued, "But because they have these abilities, it's making it more difficult for our regular forces to catch them. That's why I thought I'd send you two. Perhaps you could even the score a little."

Sky smirked slightly, "Yes, sir! I'm sure it will be interesting," he turned towards Cadet Drew, "Ready?"

She nodded curtly. "Whenever you are," she winked slightly at him, "Let's go get 'em."

------------------------

Bridge trailed along in Jack and Z's wake as they continued to hand out supplies to the people who lived along this particular alley. "So is this what you guys spend all your time doing?" he asked.

Jack held out a blanket to elderly woman who smiled and nodded in thanks before he straightened up to face Bridge. "Yah, pretty much, this is what we do. What else would you have us doing? Going around and mugging innocent kids?" he shot back sarcastically.

Bridge backed a small step away, "No; that's not what I meant. I mean, why are you helping them at all? It's not like it will last them a long time and then they'll be right back where they started from."

Z turned to face him, anger flashing in her dark eyes. "Just because nobody else cares about these people, doesn't make them any less human. Jack and I have lived here on the streets since we were kids, and we know what it's like not to have anyone else to look after you. Just because you don't care…"

"Whoa," Bridge raised both hands up in a gesture of defense, cutting her off, "I didn't say I didn't care. I was just trying to understand what it is you guys are trying to accomplish here," he shook his head slightly, "I'm sorry," he finished quietly.

Z drew in a large breath and slowly let it out, calming her anger. "It's alright. We know it's hard for other people to understand why we do the things we do," she shrugged lightly, "But we couldn't just stand around and let people be hurt when there's something we can do about."

She took a step towards Bridge and stared deeply into his eyes, "Can you imagine what it's like to live alone; in fear and without anyone to come to your aid?"

Bridge swallowed thickly as he gazed back at her, "I do. You have no idea of how much."

Jack arched an eyebrow quizzically at him. _What the hell did he mean by that_, he wondered. Instead of asking the thought that went through his head, he decided to break up the tense moment, "Alright," he said as he clapped his hands together loudly; startling both Bride and Z, making them jump slightly, "I think we're done here for now."

He approached them both, "What do you say we go and collect some more supplies for these poor folks?"

Z nodded as she looked back at Bridge. He glanced briefly at them both before nodding, "Okay, I'm with you guys."

------------------------

Syd scanned the open air marketplace from the top landing of the staircase. Brightly colored canopies littered the square below her. Everything seemed quiet and she didn't spot anyone that looked like they were there to cause trouble. She did spy a few things that caught her interest in a couple of the market stalls however, and she wondered vaguely how many credits she had on her.

Sky stood next to her, hands held together tightly behind his back as he looked the crowd over. He briefly studied each person, trying to determine if they seemed like the criminal type. So far, he didn't see anything remiss and he continued to survey the market.

"Sky?" Syd spoke up lightly as she twirled a lock of her hair, "If they don't show up today, do you think we could do a bit of shopping instead?"

Sky glared down at the shorter girl. "Shopping?" he asked tersely, "We're on duty here. Shopping has no part of us bringing in these thieves." He turned back to look over the milling crowd of shoppers and vendors once more.

"Yah, I know," Syd replied, fidgeting, "It's just that I was thinking that if they don't show, we don't have to stand around and waste all of our time today."

Sky clenched his jaw and shook his head slightly before responding, "And how is shopping _not _a waste of our time?" he asked, turning his head in her direction, shooting her a condescending look.

She glared back at the tall young man who stood next to her; his short light brown hair seeming almost blonde in the sunlight. Returning his icy stare, she placed both hands on her hips and jutted her chin out at him, "Well, it's better than just standing here not doing anything," she cocked her head at him, daring him to defy her further.

Sky was about to make a retort when a yell rang out. "Thieves! Somebody stop them!"

Without wasting a second, Sky ran down the stairs, followed closely by Syd. He jumped the last few steps, coming up into a defensive fighting stance as he landed directly in the path of three fleeing people.

"S.P.D.!" he shouted, "You're under arrest for robbery!" Sky stated as Syd came up to stand next to him, taking a ready position herself.

Both cadets looked over their opponents; all three of them carried various stolen goods. Syd noted vaguely that most of what they carried was food. She also noted that despite their burdens, they each had assumed a fighting stance.

Syd continued to look them over; sizing them up. The young black man looked as if he was capable of taking on just about anything and the young woman appeared to be just as tough as he was. Her gaze settled on the third; while he seemed to have a wiry build that bespoke the fact that he could probably fight well, Syd wondered about the large bruise that graced his right cheek. _Maybe he didn't get so lucky during his last fight_, she thought.

Jack faced down the two cadets. _Oh great, just what we need; a couple of hot-headed cadets out to prove themselves._ He shook his head slightly at the young man's words, "I don't think so. You can try, but you're not going to be doing anything to us. Right?" he glanced briefly at his two companions. He knew that Z could fight well, but he still wasn't sure about their new friend.

"You know it, Jack," Z replied. Bridge glanced at them both and nodded briefly.

"Well, then," Jack turned back to the cadets, "What do you say we get started?"

"Fine by me," Sky growled.

Syd leaned over to her teammate slightly so that she could whisper at him, "I thought there was only supposed to be two of them, not three."

Sky shrugged vaguely in response, "Guess the report was wrong." He didn't have time to say more as the three surged ahead to charge him and Syd.

Sky intercepted the young black man, swinging out with his leg in an attempt to try to trip him up, but the other easily jumped over his leg; rolling and coming up behind Sky, almost laughing as he did so.

"Told you," he said mockingly as he took off running.

Sky straightened up just in time to see Syd whirl around as the young woman and the second boy took off after the first. She lowered her clenched fists slowly and looked back at Sky.

"What just happened here? I swear, it seemed like there was more than one of her and that guy…" she shuddered faintly, "It was as if he knew what moves I was going to make _before_ I made them."

Sky shook his head at her, "I don't know. I should have had him. But somehow I managed to miss him. I never miss," Sky tightened his jaw in frustration at his own error.

"Sky," Syd spoke quietly to him, "Everyone misses sometimes. It's just a fact that you can't hit everything all the time."

Sky didn't respond to her statement, just stared at the now empty corridor their prey had taken. _I'm not supposed to miss_, he thought angrily at himself.


	4. Chapter 4: Powers

_Author's Notes: This story is highly AU, still in-progress and as of this moment, remains un-betaed (still). I believe that I caught all the spelling and grammar errors; if you spot one, shoot me a line. _

_I'm rating this story as M, for its content. Some dark and serious issues are going to be explored as the story progresses. _

_Oh, and as usual; I don't own the Power Rangers or the characters._

"Whoo!" Jack nearly yelled as he finally stopped running, glancing back down the alley behind them. "I don't think they followed us," he turned to look at Bridge and Z, "That was pretty good, wasn't it?"

"I don't know if good is the word I'd use for it, Jack," Z spoke up, "They were trying to arrest us. What if we hadn't been able to get away, then what?"

"Well, it didn't happen, so it doesn't matter, does it?" he replied. He looked over at Bridge, "I was wrong about you. You can fight pretty well after all."

Bridge nodded in response, "I told you I could take care of myself," he glanced oddly at both Z and Jack, "Um, can I ask you guys a strange question?"

Jack drew in a breath as he guessed what it was Bridge was about to ask. "Yah, sure."

Bridge peered at Jack, "Um…did you…pass through that guy's leg?"

Jack nodded once, "Yep."

Z just stood there, looking at Bridge, as he turned towards her. "And did you…" he furrowed his brow for a moment before continuing, "Were there three of you?"

Z chuckled lightly at the puzzled look he wore. "Yes. Jack and I are both…a little different."

Bridge drew himself up a bit straighter. "Really?"

"Yah, really. What Z is actually saying is that we're a couple of freaks!" Jack replied as he closed in on Bridge, thrusting his hands in Bridge's face as he got closer. Bridge backed away quickly.

Jack glanced at him, perplexed, "Hey, take it easy. I didn't mean to scare you."

Bridge shook his head slightly, "It's not you." he glanced down briefly at his gloved hands before looking back up, "It's me."

Z came to stand next to Jack, staring at Bridge. "What do you mean by that? And can I ask you a strange question in return? It almost seemed that you knew what that girl was going to do before she did it."

Bridge sighed lightly before answering, "Yes, I did," Jack and Z both seemed caught off-guard, "I have…well; I don't know what it is I have exactly. All I know is that I can read the thoughts of other people. And I can feel their emotions too and…" he glanced at Z briefly, "What they're going to do before they do it."

Jack's eyebrows flew up, as Z looked totally stunned. "But…how did you get this way? I mean, where does it come from?" she asked.

Bridge shook his head at them both, "I don't know. Do you know? Do either of you have any idea of where your abilities come from? Or how you got them?"

Z and Jack looked at each other before turning back to Bridge. "No," Jack replied, "We don't know either."

Bridge nodded slightly, "its odd isn't it? I mean, here we all are, all out on the street together where we just happen to meet up with each other and then we find out that we all somehow happen to have some strange abilities?"

Bridge paced in a small circle, emphasizing his words with pointed fingers and erratic waves of his hands, "How is that even possible? The odds of us ever meeting up with each other are… are astronomical!" he turned to face Z and Jack as he finished his ranting tirade, flinging his hands up in a gesture of incredulity.

Z just stared at him. "What?" she turned to look at Jack, "What the hell did he just say?"

Bridge just sighed and snapped his fingers to regain both their attention. "Look; all I'm saying is that it's really odd that we all have these strange 'powers'. And that we've all managed to meet up. Isn't it?"

"Uh…I don't know," Jack replied, sounding confused, "I suppose it _**is**_ a little strange," he grinned slightly at both of his friends, "But they say that the truth is always stranger than fiction," he shrugged, "Who are we to argue with that?"

Bridge nodded his head slightly as Z punched Jack lightly in the arm. "Yah right, Jack; whatever you say."

------------------------

"Report," Cruger spoke to his two cadets.

Sky Tate and Sydney Drew stood at attention in front of their commander once again. They were in the command center of Earth's Space Patrol Delta base; a hexagonally shaped room that was covered in display screens and command consoles on each of its grey walls. In the center of the room, a raised dais stood, also hexagonal in shape and covered by command stations.

Behind the command controls and just in front of the far back wall, stood a separate console; displaying the letters S.P.D. in a dark grey color. There was a single, large black chair behind it.

Commander "Doggie" Anubis Cruger spent most of his days working from behind that console. From there, he could monitor the situation of Earth's defensive forces and keep an eye on what his troops were doing when they were out in the field. He knew what had happened in the Parkington Market, but he wanted to hear it directly from his cadets.

"Sir," Cadet Tate spoke up, "They…they got away sir."

"Yes, I know. Could you please explain to me how that happened?" he replied.

"Well, for starters, there were three of them, not two," Cadet Drew stated.

"I saw," Cruger responded, "But that still doesn't tell me how they managed to get away from you both. Even though there was an unexpected opponent, you should have taken all three of them into custody," he looked over them both, "You are taught to expect the unexpected. Did we fail in your training?"

"No, sir!" both cadets replied in unison.

"It's just…" Syd started.

"Just what, Cadet Drew?" Cruger asked.

"We think he had powers too, sir," Sky finished.

"Hmm," Cruger stroked his long chin with his fingers as he began to pace around the floor, "Interesting, indeed."

He stopped walking and turned back to face them. "I want you to go back out there and apprehend all three of them. Bring them back here for questioning. Do whatever it takes. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the two cadets saluted in unison, then turned and left the command center.

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"Well, that does it for this batch too," Jack stated as he gave out the last of the food they had taken earlier in the day.

"Now what?" Bridge asked.

"Now we go and get more," Z replied, "There's still a lot of hungry folks out here."

Jack and Z started to head off, as Bridge circled around in front of them, cutting them off. "Wait. Don't you think that's just asking for trouble? I mean, we were nearly caught once today already. Don't you think they'd be on the lookout for us to show up again?"

Jack just grinned at him slightly, "No. Because they'd probably figure we'd do just like what you're suggesting. They wouldn't figure we would come out again so soon. So, chances are, they won't even be looking for us right now."

Z nodded briefly at Jack's words. But Bridge shook his head, "I don't think this is a good idea."

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes briefly, "Bridge, if you don't want to come with us, that's your choice. We're not going to force you to," he stepped forward and placed a hand lightly on Bridge's shoulder, "But we could use your help if we do encounter trouble. What do you say?"

Bridge looked over them both briefly before nodding, "Alright. I'll come." Jack just grinned as Z smiled at him slightly and they started to head off once more. "But I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself as he trailed after his new friends.

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"Okay, I think we've got enough now," Jack spoke up, "Let's get going."

Z nodded and collected her bag of acquired goods as Bridge picked up what he had gathered.

They headed down an alleyway that led away from the marketplace, back towards the shadier parts of the city, when two familiar figures stepped out in front of them, blocking their path.

"Not you two again," Jack groaned, "Don't you ever learn? Or is it that you just haven't had enough yet?"

"Not this time," the young male cadet spoke up, "You're coming with us and there isn't anything you can do about."

"Really?" Z piped up, "I beg to differ," she glanced briefly at Bridge and Jack, "What do you guys think?"

"I'm with you, Z," Jack replied, "I think it's time we gave these two a good lesson, otherwise these clowns will be bugging us forever." he nodded briefly at his two friends, who nodded back, "Get 'em!" he shouted as he charged forward, dropping his burden as he ran.

Z and Bridge did the same as together they ran towards the male cadet while Jack headed for the girl.

Bridge and Z were nearly on top of him, when suddenly he waved his arm around in a large circular motion; a trail of blue light arcing and following his arm's movement. They stopped short in their charge as they crashed into something that felt as hard as a wall, sending them sprawling backwards.

Meanwhile, the young woman pulled out a small cylinder from a pouch on her uniform and wrapped her fingers around it. Jack vaguely heard her say something about stone and he quickly phased his body as she took a swing at him, her arm passing through him.

It was a good thing he did so, as she missed Jack and hit a large trash container instead, denting it with the force of her blow.

"Whoa," Jack spoke as his body re-materialized.

"That's right," the other cadet smirked, "You're not the only ones with tricks."

Jack backed away from them both and leaned down to help Z and Bridge get back to their feet, never once taking his eyes off the cadets.

"Jack?" Z wondered aloud, sounding perplexed, "How did they...?"

Bridge stepped in front of them both, "Guys. Don't you get it? They have powers like we do," he turned to face the two cadets, "Who are you? And how did you get your powers?"

"Cadet Sky Tate," the young man replied, pointing at himself, then pointed at Syd, "And Cadet Sydney Drew. At your service," he added mockingly.

Jack glared at them both, "I'll give you service, you…"

"Jack!" Bridge cut him off. He turned to look at both of his friends, "I think this is the chance for us to find out about our powers. Aren't you the least bit curious as to how you got them?" he tilted his head in the cadets' direction, "They might have some idea. Don't you want to find out?"

Z stared at the two cadets for a long moment before looking over at Jack, "Well, what do you think?"

"Z, as you said once before, they're trying to arrest us," Jack retorted, "And now all of a sudden you want to go with them?" he shook his head in disbelief at her, "I'm beginning to think you're just as screwy as he is," cocking his head in Bridge's direction.

Bridge rolled his eyes and glared at him, "I'm not as screwy as you might think. Seriously, don't you want to know? I mean, you can't go on for the rest of your life not knowing, can you?"

Jack gave a huge sigh as he looked back at the two cadets, all the while who had been standing patiently, not saying a word. He looked back at Z who nodded faintly at him.

"Alright!" Jack threw his hands up in the air, "I sure hope we don't live to regret this." He stepped out around Bridge and faced the cadets, "Okay, we'll go with you."

Sky raised an eyebrow, "And we're just supposed to believe you? That you really are going to come along quietly?"

"Uh, hello?" Jack spoke sarcastically, "I believe that's what I just said," he leaned towards Z and Bridge, speaking quietly so as to not be overheard, "Besides once we're there and get the information we want, I can always walk right back out again and get you guys loose too," winking at them slightly.


End file.
